Steven C. (SteveTheDM) -
Helpful Score: 1
That was fun. Smedman writes a great adventure... Not too deep into issues of emotional state, like so many others, but deep into the nitty gritty of making world-changing events happen in a fantasy realm.
Though this is Lady Penitent Book II, Halisstra Melarn (the Lady Penitent) is hardly in this novel at all. Instead our main characters are Cavatina (the Darksong Knight from book I), and Q'arlynd (the scheming drow wizard from book I). And I'm very pleased with the course their lives are taking.
Again, Smedman weaves the intricacies of Dungeons & Dragons into her work, she's clearly very familiar with the rules of D&D, which makes things doubly enjoyable for me. In addition, she makes reference (in passing) to the "adventurers" who help bring down some evildoers in Maerimydra, which was a quite large D&D Adventure published as "City of the Spider Queen". If you've played or DM'ed that adventure, it's cool to think that it was *you* who was part of the adventuring party that made the difference there. It's a touch that means little to non-D&D-players out there, but it makes it fun for those of us who are.
In summary: not deep; but fun! 4.5/5
Though this is Lady Penitent Book II, Halisstra Melarn (the Lady Penitent) is hardly in this novel at all. Instead our main characters are Cavatina (the Darksong Knight from book I), and Q'arlynd (the scheming drow wizard from book I). And I'm very pleased with the course their lives are taking.
Again, Smedman weaves the intricacies of Dungeons & Dragons into her work, she's clearly very familiar with the rules of D&D, which makes things doubly enjoyable for me. In addition, she makes reference (in passing) to the "adventurers" who help bring down some evildoers in Maerimydra, which was a quite large D&D Adventure published as "City of the Spider Queen". If you've played or DM'ed that adventure, it's cool to think that it was *you* who was part of the adventuring party that made the difference there. It's a touch that means little to non-D&D-players out there, but it makes it fun for those of us who are.
In summary: not deep; but fun! 4.5/5
